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ROAST CHICKEN WITH MEYER LEMON & ROASTED SHALLOT GRAVY

Mark was gone. Visiting his mother. I opted not to go. Since we moved in together, sometimes I like to take opportunities to be by myself since those opportunities tend to be rare. I mean, I am an only child. Although soon after he left, I felt aimless and bored and couldn't wait for him to get back. When mealtimes came, the idea of cooking for one person felt like an ordeal. The first night I just grazed in the refrigerator on a hodgepodge of foods and flavors that didn't really go together. It somehow seemed sadder than making a meal for one. The next day I decided that even though it was just me, I was going to make a proper dinner.

Sunday morning I went to the Melrose Place Farmers' Market, and perused the stands. I picked up a bundle of fresh thyme, a pound of fat little shallots, a bag of pink potatoes and a handful of Meyer lemons. I must confess that I wasn't exactly just spotting beautiful, seasonal ingredients and suddenly making up a recipe in my head of how they'd deliciously fit together. I actually had a dish in mind, one that I'd seen in an issue of Sunset magazine a year ago while sitting in the waiting room of my dermatologist, Dr. Van Dyke. I'm not quite at that level yet. Hopefully one day.

Later that afternoon, I got busy prepping my roast chicken for one. Just because one is dining alone, doesn't mean one can't be civilized. No more refrigerator grazing.

INGREDIENTS

1 4-to-5 pound organic chicken

1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

zest of 2 Meyer lemons

juice of 1/2 of one of the lemons

the remaining 1 1/2 lemons quartered

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped plus 4 whole sprigs

extra virgin olive oil

1 pound shallots, unpeeled

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken stock

1/3 cup dry white wine

METHOD

Rinse the chicken inside and out and then pat dry with paper towels. Gently loosen the skin of the breast and the thighs and work some of the salt under the skin. Rub the remaining salt all over the chicken and in the cavity. Chill uncovered at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

Pat the chicken dry inside and out. Work half the zest under the skin covering the breast and thighs and then rub the rest all over the outside. Then rub the skin with the chopped thyme and season with pepper. Place the quartered lemons in the cavity along with the thyme sprigs. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil, gently rub to completely coat.

Toss the unpeeled shallots in a heavy roasting pan and drizzle with a little more olive oil, tossing to coat. Set a V-shaped baking rack in the pan and then place the chicken in the rack, breast side up. If you'd like, you can truss the chicken, but I opted not to. Slide the chicken in the oven and roast for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, basting with chicken stock, every 30 minutes (you should use about half the stock).

When the chicken is golden brown and the internal temperature reads between 160 and 170 degrees F, remove from the oven. Using a pair of tongs, tip the chicken to let the juices run out into the roasting pan. Remove the chicken from the pan, set on a plate, and cover loosely with a square of tin foil.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the roasted shallots and reserve in a bowl to let cool slightly.

Meanwhile pour the pan drippings into a measuring cup or fat separator. Either spoon off or pour off all about about a tablespoon of fat. Pour the drippings into a food processor or blender.

When the shallots are cool enough to handle, slice off the top and root end and then squeeze out the soft insides into the food processor or blender.

Add the white wine, the remaining 1/2 cup of broth, and pulse until smooth.

Return the sauce to the roasting pan and cook, scrapping any brown bits, over medium-high heat until the sauce turns a nutty brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the reserved Meyer lemon juice, or more to taste. Taste and season with salt and pepper is need be.

If you like, you can pour the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer to make the sauce silky smooth.

Finally, carve the chicken, discarding the lemon wedges and thyme, and serve with a bowl of the sauce. Don't forget to save and freeze the carcass to make chicken stock. If you feel the skin on the wings and thighs are kind of pale and flabby from being roasted on the underside, just toss them onto a pan and stuck them under the broiler for about 2 minutes to crisp them up. That's what I did.

My first observation about this recipe is that it dirties up kind of a lot of dishes, pots, pans and utensils. Or maybe I'm just a messy cook. Regardless, finally having a dishwasher and counter space makes me not care. Plus the resulting chicken is that good, it'll make you not care about dirty dishes and I think this might be due to the salting. I can't be positive, but I think it made the chicken really really juicy. I've never made a chicken with such juicy white meat, and I've made a lot of really great chickens. I think form now on, if I have the time, I'll be salting my chicken.

Next observation - nestling the flavoring (in this case the Meyer lemon zest) under the skin, is a much more effective use of said flavoring. I have done this before and really like the results. It comes in direct contact with the meat and really has a chance to impart flavor. You don't have to do it, but it's better if you do. The zest really gives the meat a bright, fresh taste. Very clean and slightly sweet and perfumey.

And then there's the roasted shallot gravy. Roasting the shallots intensifies their flavor and brings out the sweetness, which is mirrored by the sweetness of the Meyer lemon juice. Unlike some flour and butter based gravies that have a rich, heavy consistency, this one is nicely thick but still feels light and fresh. As I mentioned before, you don't have to strain the sauce. I did and it just made more things to clean, however, straining it makes the sauce more elegant, so if that's the tone you are going for then do it. I almost think the next Thanksgiving turkey I make, I'm going to include a bunch of shallots in the roasting pan and use that as the basis for the gravy.

To go along with the chicken, I made another recipe from the Sunset magazine article about Meyer lemons - crispy olive oil slicked roasted potatoes that get tossed with parsley and more of the sweet Meyer lemon zest. But really you could serve anything. That's the great thing about roast chicken. Versatility.

Comments

The salting definitely lent juiciness. The salt under the skin basically created a brine which alters meat proteins allowing them to hold onto moisture better. Try bringing a turkey and you'll never go back!

This looks absolutely divine. As soon as I saw this, I knew it was perfect for dinner night with some friends - now just need some wine and a simple arugula salad with a lemon dressing and a simple dessert!

This sounds lovely. I love lemon and poultry. I just love your blog. Always something classy and delicious. I bet rosemary would be a nice addition to this. My thyme plant just died, inexplicably, but the rosemary is still kicking:)

This chicken recipe looks amazing! I know what you mean about cooking for one... sometimes I'd rather eat Top Ramen. I admire your ability to make an entire roast chicken just for yourself. And the recipe choice looks awesome!

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